Big D.

You don’t hear the phrase much anymore, but for many, the image remains: we’re the city of big business, big hair and big spenders.

Thankfully, the average hair height in our town has decreased considerably over the years. But our reputation as a throw-away society, where residents would much rather consume than conserve, lingers.

Is it true what they say about us? Are we all out buying bigger, newer stuff without a thought to what we’re tearing down and tossing out?

Our city’s “Live Large, Think Big” slogan does nothing to discourage that idea. And nor do our ever-bigger houses and cars.

But the truth is, our area is filled with people who are passionate about conserving our natural resources and protecting the environment. We talked to three of them, to learn more about our area’s environmental issues and what they do to help.

Anne Drumm is the chair of the North Texas Sierra Club. With approximately 4,000 member families, it’s one of the largest chapters in the state.

Many of those members live in Preston Hollow, she says, and they’re not the extremists some believe all environmentalists to be.

“I think the Sierra Club is the epitome of mainstream conservation,” she says. “We are the largest grassroots organization in the country, and we operate within the existing political structure. We don’t do anything illegal.”

Some of the local issues the club addresses are water, air quality, recycling, and the Trinity River, she says.

“It’s just people who come together to work on the mission, which is environmental education, advocacy and going on outings – backpacking, camping, trips, day hikes, that kind of thing. About 200 are active, with varying degrees of activity. Some treat it as a part-time job, as I do. Others participate in an activity maybe once a month or every other month.”

Much of Drumm’s work involves making sure the organization works.

“I’m the primary administrative person for an organization that has about a $25,000 budget,” she says. “I watch how we spend money, participate in recruiting volunteers, help people who are interested in volunteering to do so in a way that works with their schedule. And some of what I do is advocacy. I helped a bit with Mayor Laura Miller’s recycling task force.”

Drumm pulls no punches when discussing our area’s environmental record.

On water conservation, she says: “If you look at the Dallas area’s water consumption vs. other cities – San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, which have made some real progress – it’s clear to us that we have a lot of work to do today.”